Next was the really creepy Easter Bunny that showed up and scared all the kids.

Then the Easter Egg hunt began. The kids were to collect as many eggs as they wanted. All the eggs were emty with no candy inside. To make sure all the kids got a fair share, they turned in their eggs for a basket of candy.

March 24, 2010

Last week we went to Utah to spend time with the Snyder family. Since most of them live there that has become the middle ground for all reunions. I don't mind. There is more space and the cousins love to play together. I don't think I saw my boys very much during the week because they were off playing. They had a lot of fun. Lances' brother Paul and his wife Lesa are building their first home across the street from where they are renting right now. Let me paint a picture for you. My mother and father-in-law built a home in Provo as a retirement/vacation home. It is just east of the BYU campus and is set up on the hill. A new subdivision called Cinnamon Ridge and Lances' sister Sharlene and her husband Tom built there home just two lots down from Lances' parents. Lance's parents bought the lot in between the two homes as a play/common area for the families. Paul and Lesa were renting the home from his parents and now they have decided to build their own home just right across the street. They are hoping to be mid April. It is beautiful. They have built their own racquetball court behind their home that is kind of built into the hill. It is quite the home. We are very excited for them. It will be very nice when it is all done. We can't wait to return and see the finished project.

My brother in law Preston had his 17th birthday while we were there. The boys went skiing for his big day. Then they took all the boys to the shooting range to fire some shots. Lance took our boys along and they had a great time. All 5 boys went and had a blast. It was his first time up on the slopes. My sister-in-law Lesa is quite the cake decorater so she made Preston's cake. It turned out so cute and yummy.

The boys were busy doing their manly activities while we attended the Anderson Legacy. My mother-in-law has an incredibly large side to her family. Every year they get together had hold conferences of how to be a better person, self-developing talents, and how to do multiple things. These woman are saints. I have never been in such a large crowd of heavenly women. It was a neat opportunity to attend and take notes. I LOVED it! Thanks mom for taking me along and for watching my children so I could listen in on some important things.

I have three sisters-in-law who are expecting this year. Two of them boys and one more girl. Lee and Jaclyn are having their second child, one girl and this one a boy. They just accepted a job offer in Georgia, just right outside of Atlanta working for an engineering firm. They are very excited. It will give me a good reason to go there. I have always wanted to go there.

My other sister-in-law Carrie and her husband John are going to Tennessee this summer for work. They are expecting their first little guy at the end of June, and then Paul and Lesa are expecting their 4th little girl in July.

We are so excited for all of them. I love being an aunt. I hope we can travel around and love these sweet litttle families and meet these new little faces when they come.

March 23, 2010

These are the faces I see everyday, all day long. Are they possible faces only a mother could love ? Possibly but I am a firm believer that there are many more who love them just like I do. These are the reasons why I love each one of them.....

Keaton~ He loves to be adventurous. He loves being outside. He loves exploring. Right now he is in preschool and comes home with the craziest ideas and he wants to share with me everything he did and all the neat things he learned but his little mind moves faster than his little lips can. He has such a huge desire to learn all he can. He is trying to learn how to tie his own shoes. His uncle told him that him that if he can learn then he will take him to buy any toy that he wants. So you better believe that he is trying to learn fast. He is pretty frustrated with it and after about 3 minutes he gives up and just asks me to do it.
I am getting him registered for Kindergarden in the fall. He is pretty excited to go to school where all the big kids go. I am alittle nervous for that but I am sure I will be over it when I have my mornings free. I know I will miss him a lot.
He refuses to take naps anymore. He is my babysitter and watches Owen while I read Andrew stories in the afternoon. He is a great entertainer. He loves to make people laugh and loves to be the center of attention in our home. I love his laugh. I laugh when he laughs. Sometimes he will laugh so hard at something Owen does it will make him cry.
Keaton, I love you so much. You were the sunshine that came after a stormy night. Thanks for being patient with me.

Andrew- Andrew is full of mischief. I never know where he is nor do I know what he is doing. I know that if I don't hear him for awhile then it means he is up to no good. He loves to laugh. I know understand the true definition of a belly laugh, and he has it. I love to tickle him just so I can hear it. It will brighten my day any time I need some boosting.
Andrew misses Keaton when he is gone. He loves going with me to take him and see him go with all his friends. He is jealous and itching to have his own school in the fall. Hold on Andrew, it will come!
Andrew loves to play. That is what he would rather be doing more than anything else. He is still trying to figure out how to get a long with kids. We are working on that. He doesn't really like to share. Again we are working on that too.
He is always asking for a treat. He will so tenderly say, "Mom, I need a treat." And I will ask him in return, "Why do you think you need a treat?" Then he will tell me, "Mom because I don't feel very good." Candy is the cure for everything in Andrew's world. He is a firm believer in that too. Nothing can persuade him otherwise. Got to love the boy for trying.
I hope that he has not inherited the Quinn's bad gene for bad teeth. We already had two root canals performed on his little mouth this past December. So we are brushing like crazy every morning and night. He is doing pretty well too.
He loves to be outside too. He loves his spark scooter that he got for Christmas and loves going for walks.
I love this boy more and more. He is a spittin image of me when I was younger, or so my mom says. He is me and I love that about him, I think.

Owen- Owen is almost a year old. Can you believe it? I can't. On April 20th we will be celebrating one year. My how fast time flys. The more children you have, the faster they grow. I swear they do.
Owen has brought such sweet peace into our home and lives. He was such an easy baby and has been a pretty content boy, most of the time.
Here is what we have learned about him.....He loves to be held, only by mom. If someone else is holding him while I am in the same room then he will act like he is being tortured until I take him back. He is pretty content to sit on my hip and move around as I do, but he is getting heavier and he wiggles way too much.
He LOVES his brothers. He loves waking up to them in the morning.
I love going into his bedroom after he wakes up from a nap. One thing I can guarentee every time I go in is that there is a smell of a dirty diaper everytime without fail. Means he had a good rest.
He enjoys sleeping once he is asleep. Getting there is another story. He is still nursing. It is his comfort food I guess you could say.
He loves to be where the crowd is. He hates to be left alone. Loves my parents cats. He loves being outside and he loves going for walks.
He is learning how to walk. We aren't quite there but we are getting close. Anytime he is left alone and we cant' find him, we can never go wrong when it comes to the stairs. He always makes a mad dash for those. I need to get a gate and put it up.
This afternoon while I was reading to Andrew, trying to get him down for his nap, I could hear somethign on the stairs. This little squeal of baby. So I hurry and checked the stairs and sure enough there was Owen in only his diaper all the way on the top stair. Now mind you there are 15 steps to the top and I was just so glad that he didn't fall down those. Keaton was using the restroom and didn't tell me so I found him. What a lucky boy he was today.
I love you Owen. Thanks for bringing so much laughter and peace into our family. It wouldn't be the same without you. Momma loves you!

So while we took a weeks vacation to Utah we got the news that our home we are suppose to sell this spring, is located in a subdivision that is going bankrupt.Yes, Hunter's Creek is going back to the bank. Sad isn't it? We couldn't believe it. How could this be? Well it is happening and last night we met up with the family that is living in our home and we went in crossing our fingers that they were still wanting to buy it. We walked inside and I marveled at how beautiful it was. I don't know how many people actually get to go back to the their previous home and see how different it looks when someone else's things are in there it is neat. I was really amazed at how beautiful that home really is. It always looks better with someone's belongings in it.

So we held our breath and the first thing they said was ,"Yes, we are still going to buy it." We felt so relieved. We just needed to discuss what we are going to do about the up keep and the landscaping. So we are hiring their son to do it for his summer job and earn some money on the side. It will be ok and it should look decent also. As for the swimming pool, well that still is in the works. We had the idea of having a few families pitch in some $ if they choose to swim there and help us keep it open. Any family that wants to use the swimming pool this summer will have to help us keep it open so we can enjoy another summer in there. I hope it will work. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

We are just going to sit and wait and see what happens with the lot prices to see if they are worth buying so we can get going on our next home. We are itching to build again.
Thanks Hales for taking care of such an amazing home. We are so happy that it is working for you and you are loving it.

March 7, 2010

Yesterday we had a big family gathering to celebrate my sweet grandfather's 85th birthday. Yes, that is old and yes he is still going strong! We don't have get togethers with my father's side very often. I guess you could say we do more with my mom's side. So we all gathered at our home and we piged out on good food and have a great time catching up with everyone. My dad has4 siblings. Only he and his brother live here in Boise. A sister in St. George, a sister in Salt Lake City area and a sister who passed away almost 9 years ago who lived in Rexburg. Some of them made the trip up to wish him a happy birthday.

We had a great time. Thanks everyone for coming. And to my cousin Cameron, you were the enteraintment that my kids keep talking about.